Merck (Private) Limited through Notified Factory Manager V. Member Labour Appellate Tribunal and 24 others,
PLC 2015 313 · Balochistan High Court
This case involved a dispute between Merck (Private) Limited, a pharmaceutical company, and workers who claimed they had been employees of the company and were wrongfully terminated. The workers said they had been hired on a permanent basis after a probation period but were never given formal appointment letters, and were later barred from entering the factory by police. They filed a grievance claiming unlawful termination and sought reinstatement.
Merck denied any employer-employee relationship, arguing the workers were actually hired by a separate contractor or consultant engaged to provide services at the factory, not by the company itself. The Labour Court agreed with Merck and dismissed the workers' grievance, finding no proof they were company employees. However, the Labour Appellate Tribunal reversed this decision and ordered the company to reinstate the workers with permanent appointment letters.
Merck challenged the Tribunal's ruling before the Balochistan High Court. The High Court found that there was no evidence, such as appointment letters or payroll records, showing the workers were employed by Merck. Instead, records showed they were on the payroll of the consultant/contractor, with whom Merck had a service agreement. The Court ruled that the Tribunal had wrongly assessed the facts and law, and restored the Labour Court's original decision dismissing the workers' claims.
This case matters because it clarifies that companies using contracted labor through third-party consultants are not automatically responsible as "employers" under labor law, especially when no direct employment evidence exists.
یہ مقدمہ میسرز مرک (پرائیویٹ) لمیٹڈ، ایک دواساز کمپنی، اور ان مزدوروں کے درمیان تنازع سے متعلق تھا جو خود کو کمپنی کے ملازم قرار دیتے ہوئے یہ دعویٰ کر رہے تھے کہ انہیں ناجائز طور پر ملازمت سے نکال دیا گیا ہے۔ مزدوروں کا کہنا تھا کہ انہیں پروبیشن کا عرصہ مکمل کرنے کے بعد مستقل بنیادوں پر رکھا گیا تھا، لیکن انہیں کبھی باقاعدہ تقرری نامے جاری نہیں کیے گئے، اور بعد میں پولیس کے ذریعے انہیں فیکٹری میں داخل ہونے سے روک دیا گیا۔ انہوں نے غیر قانونی برطرفی کی شکایت درج کروائی اور بحالی کا مطالبہ کیا۔
مرک نے کمپنی اور مزدوروں کے درمیان کسی بھی آجر و ملازم کے تعلق سے انکار کیا اور موقف اختیار کیا کہ ان مزدوروں کو دراصل کمپنی نے نہیں بلکہ ایک علیحدہ ٹھیکیدار یا مشیر (کنسلٹنٹ) نے بھرتی کیا تھا جسے فیکٹری میں خدمات فراہم کرنے کے لیے مقرر کیا گیا تھا۔ لیبر کورٹ نے مرک کے موقف سے اتفاق کیا اور مزدوروں ک